OFSTED Inspection of Park Vale Academy upgrades the school in every category.
14 Sep 2021
Statement from the Headteacher:
Following a full 2-day inspection of the academy towards the end of last term, I am pleased to announce that the school has been upgraded in all 4 sections of the OFSTED framework including judgements of “Good” for both Leadership & Management and Personal Development. This process followed on from two previous monitoring visits which had already recognised the major improvements which have taken place at the academy since the last proper visit in 2019.
Whilst acknowledging that Park Vale, like all schools, has had to deal with challenges in areas such as attendance and behaviour as a consequence of the pandemic, they commented in the report that “Leaders set high expectations for behaviour.” They also identified improvements in the quality of governance: “Governors take their responsibilities seriously” and safeguarding, “Leaders have built a strong safeguarding team.”
Going into the process, the school was extremely confident of a positive outcome due to the rising trend in GCSE results at the academy over the past few years. This has been the consequence of maintaining high expectations right across the board, a major push to raise the aspirations of our students and the strategic recruitment of high quality teaching and support staff to all areas of the school.
We are all really delighted with the findings of this report, particularly the Good judgement for Leadership and Management which sends out a strong message that the school is in safe hands and will to continue to improve. Staff at all levels have worked incredibly hard over the last few years to improve standards, so as Headteacher, I am really glad that they are finally getting the recognition that they deserve. I also hope that the students, their families and the local community as a whole can take some pride in this report given that it reflects everyone’s efforts to turn the school around and make it a place of high aspirations where all students are expected to achieve their full potential.
S Bowhay.